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L. HANSON.

ELEGTRIGLARO LAMP.

No. 360,151. A Patented Mar. 29, 1887..

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ELEGTRIG ARG LAMP.

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L. HANSON.

ELECTRIC ARG LAMP.

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110,360,151. Patented Mar. 29, 14887 INVENTOR:

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LUTHER HANSON, OF HALIFAX, COUNTY OF YORK, ENGLAND.

ELECTRIC- ARC LAMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 360,151, dated March 29, 1887.

Application filed September 3, 1886.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LLUTHER HANSON, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing in Halifax, Yorkshire, England, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Electrio-Arc Lamps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of are lamps wherein the upper carbon is lifted to establish the are by means of an electro-magnet in the main circuit, and is fed downward as the carbons consume by the action of a magnet in a shunt around (the arc. The carbon-holding rod carrying the upper carbon is suspended by means of a cord or chain which winds around a drum or spool, the rotation of which is governed by a friction-brake actuated by the feeding-magnet in the shunt-circuit. The drum is mounted in a frame which is tilted by the lifting-magnet in the main circuit, thus moving the drum, pulling the cord, and lifting the carbon to establish the arc.

- The release of this frame throws off the brake,

. larger scale.

permitting the carbon to run down freely.

Figure lis an elevation of my improved lamp, partly in section. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the regulating mechanism on a Fig. 3 is a plan of the mechanism, partly in horizontal section, cut in the plane of the line3 3 in Fig. 2. Fig.4 is a diagram designed to illustrate the operation more clearly; and Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are diagrammatic elevations illustrating modifications.

Let A designate the frame or case in which the regulating mechanism is placed, B the carbon-holding rod or carrier for the uppercarbon, 0, and O the lower carbon. D is the lifting-magnet with its coil in the main cirsheave, c, thence extends down, at b", and

takes one or more turns around a drum or spool, G, and extends up again, at b, to another sheave, d, and thence down again, at Z)", to a weight, H, to which its end is fastened. This weight is too light to counterpoise the Serial No. 212,582. (No model.)

rod B, its chief functions being to keep the cord taut and make it bind around the drum.

The drum G is rotatively mounted in a frame, J, which is free to rock on its fulcrum j, where it is pivoted between two posts, e e.

At one end of this frame is the armature f of the lifting-magnet D, so that the excitation of that magnet draws down that end'of the frame. The drum G has a large toothed wheel, 9, con

nected to it through the medium of a ratchet,

h, and pawl i, so that this wheel 1 turns with the drum while the rod B is descending; but the drum may turn backward without turning the wheel 9. This wheel 9 meshes with a pinion, It, on a spindle, I, which has bearings in the frame J. On this spindle is a fly-wheel or brake-wheel, K, and a flier or fan, L, the function of the latter being to retard the rotation of the spindle. Against the brake-wheel K rests a brake-lever, m, one end of which constitutes or carries the armature of the feeding-magnet E. This lever plays between adjustable screw-stops p and q, and an adjustable retracting-spring, a, draws it away from themagnet and toward the brake-wheel.

The arrangement of the drum G and spindle I in the frame J is important. The drum is mounted on the same side of the fulcrum as the armaturef, so that when the magnet D is excited and draws down its armature italso draws down the drum, and as the drum pulls down the cord 6 with it the rod B is consequently lifted and the arc is formed; but the spindle I is on the opposite side of the fulcrum, so that it is raised by the same movement, in order that the wheel K, which before was low enough to clear the brake-lever m, is lifted sufficiently to touch it, so that the contact of the lever holds the wheel stationary.

The operation is as follows: Vhile at rest the parts stand as shown in Fig. 2. \Vhen the current is firstturned on, it excites the magnet D, which tilts the frame J to the position seen in Figs. 1 and 4, thus lifting the upper carbon and striking the arc. The frame re mains in this position so long as the current is uninterrupted. The lamp burns thus until the are becomes of maximum length, whereupon the increased resistance diverts sufficient current into the shunt-circuit to excite the magnet E, which attracts the brake'lever m and draws it away from the brake-wheel K. The weight of the rod B and carbon C then acts through the cord 1) to rotate the drum G and the gears g and wheel K, and the carbon runs down, being retarded only by the fan L, until the arc is shortened to the proper extent, whereupon the magnet E releases thelever m, which is drawn against the wheel K and stops its rotation. In practice the feed is almost incessant, the magnet E keeping the brake-lever barely in contact with the dywheel, and the carbon being thus lowered as fast as the carbons waste away, so that the arc is maintained of uniform length.

My improved-lamp is especially steady and free from flickering, jumping, and pumping.

In case of the interruption of the current by the breaking of the carbons or other cause the magnet D releases the frame J, which tilts until it is stopped by a screw, 1-. By this movement the fly-wheel K is moved out of contact with the brake-lever m, and the feeding mechanism is thus freed, so that the upper carbon rapidly runs down until it rests on the lower carbon again.

In order to put in new carbons the rod Bis pushed up manually. In so doing the weight H is permitted to run down, turning the drum G backward. The ratchet hand pawl 1' permit the drum to be turned backward freely, and without rotating the wheels 9, 7c, and K.

In Fig. 1 I have shown the weight H in the form of a tube, surrounding the rod 13 and itself inclosed by the tube F, fixed on the frame A. This form of weight is most compact, but requires that the cords shall be carried over guide-sheaves Z Z. The arrangement shown in the diagram, Fig. 4, is simpler, but less compact.

The adjustments required in my lamp are but two. The screw 0' determines the length of the are when it is first established, and the spring it determines the subsequent length of the are.

Fig. '5 shows a modification, wherein my invention is reduced to its simplest form. The drum G has the brake-wheel K fixed to it, all gearing being omitted, and the brake-lever m and feeding-magnet E are arranged beneath the wheel, in order to utilize the lift thereof, when freed by the magnetD,to carry the wheel K out of contact with the lever m. The connter-weight is here omitted,the cord being reeled on the drum.

Instead of checking the feed by means of a friction-brake, this may be accomplished by a projection on the lever an engaging a toothed wheel, K, as shown in Fig. 6, or by a similar projection engaging the fan L, as shown in Fig. 7, or by other equivalent arresting device. All three methods are old in themselves. It will of course be understood that solenoids or any other electro-motive devices may be substituted for the magnets D and E as their equivalents.

I am aware that are lamps have been invented in which the uppercarbon has been fed downward by a cord wound around a drum; also, that in are lamps the feed has been regulated by a friction-wheel moved against a brake by the excitation of amagnet in the main circuit, and also that in lamps having a friction-feed a brake has been normally pressed against the friction-wheel and released by the excitation of a magnet in a shunt-circuit to permit the feeding to take place. I make no claim to either of these features by itself; nor do I make any claim'to lamps wherein the carbon-holding rod is provided with a rack which meshes with a pinion mounted inatilting frame which carries a train of gears terminating in a brake-wheel or cscapement. My invention is limited to lamps wherein the carbon-holding rod is suspended from a cord or its equivalent, as a chain, and which cord is wound around a drum mounted in a pivoted frame, which is tilted by the main-circuit magnet, with a shunt-circuit magnet to control the feed through the medium of a friction-brake or equivalent device and acting thereon against a constant (although adjustable) retractile force. The connection of the feed-regulating mechanism with the carbon-holder through a cord and drum,instead of a rack and pinion, enables the construction of the lamp to be greatly cheapened, does not necessitate such accurate workmanship, and by the suspension of the rod from a point centrally above it avoids the side thrust due to the necessarily one-sided arrangement of a pinion, thereby decreasing friction and rendering the regulation more sensitive and the light more uniform. It also admits of readily counterbalancing part of the weight of the carbon-holder and carbon \Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an electric-arc lamp, the combination of the carbon-holding rod, a cord from which said rod is suspended, a drum around which said cord is wound, a friction-wheel (or equivalent) connected to and rotating with said drum, a friction brake or lever adapted to engage said wheel and arrest its rotation, adjustable stops for limiting the play of said brake or lever, a movable frame in which said wheel is mounted, the main-circuit magnet adapted, when excited, to move said frame and thereby carry said wheel into engagement with said brake, the shuntcircuit magnet adapted, when excited, to draw said brake away from said wheel, and a retractile device acting upon said brake in opposition to the shunt-magnet, substantially as set forth.

2. In an eleetric-arc lamp, the combination of the carbon-holding rod, a cord from which said rod is suspended, a drum around which said cord is wound, a friction-wheel (or equivalent) geared to and rotating with said drum, a friction brake or stop adapted to engage said wheel and arrest its rotation, a tilting frame in which said drum and wheel are rotatively mounted, pivoted on a fulcrum arranged between the axes of said drum and wheel, the

-- main-circuit magnet adapted, when excited,

to tilt said frame and thereby move said drum and wheel in opposite directions, whereby the arc is established and the said wheel is brought into engagement with said brake or stop, and the shunt-circuit magnet adapted to actuate said brake or stop and thereby to regulate the feed, substantially as set forth.

3. In an electric-arc lamp, the combination of the carbon-holding rod, a cord from which said rod is suspended, a drum around which said cord is passed one or more times, and a weight hung from the opposite end of the cord, whereby the cord is kept taut around the drum and the carbon-holding rod is partly counterpoised, substantially as set forth.

4. In an electric-arc lamp, the combination of the carbon-holding rod, a cord from which said rod is suspended, a drum around which said cord is passed one or more times, a weight hung from the opposite end of the cord, a friction-wheel (or its equivalent) connected to said drum, and a ratchet and pawl interposed between said drum and wheel, whereby the drum turns with the wheel to feed the carbon downward, butturns backwardindependently thereof, substantially as set forth, whereby, when the rod is pushed up, the descent of the weight rotates the drum freely backward.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LUTHER HANSON.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR O. FRASER, GEORGE H. FRAsieR. 

